1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to bidets for cleaning the rectal and genital areas of the human body. In particular, the invention relates to a bidet attachment adapted to be mounted on a conventional toilet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The bidet has long been recognized as a highly effective device for cleaning the rectal and genital areas of the human body. In the United States, the general public has been slow to accept the bidet, so few houses have been built with bidets included. However, many Americans have discovered the benefits of bidets. For those who would like to use a bidet, bidet attachments have been developed to be mounted on a standard toilet.
For example, such a bidet attachment is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,425,066, issued on Feb. 4, 1969, to Berger. The Berger attachment includes a nozzle mounted on the toilet below the toilet seat. Water flow is controlled by a hand operated valve. The valve is connected to a fitting interposed in the water supply pipe that supplies water to the toilet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,985, issued Jan. 8, 1980, to Rius, discloses a bidet attachment that also has a nozzle mounted below the toilet seat. Water flow is controlled by a valve on the water supply pipe.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,553, issued Aug. 16, 1977, to Sussman, shows another bidet attachment. Water flow is controlled by two valves. Water is supplied to the valves through flexible hoses connected to hot and cold water risers under a bathroom sink. The hoses are connected to the risers with self-tapping valves having two halves. A lance passes through a hole in one half of the valve and pierces the tubing of the riser. When the self-tapping valve is used on steel or brass pipe, it is necessary to hand drill a small hole and then attach the two halves of the valve.
Prior art bidet attachments have generally been relatively expensive. Many prior art devices include complex temperature sensing and water heating equipment. Such devices are electrically operated and thus are subject to failure and present a possible shock hazard. Also, if the temperature sensing equipment fails, the overly heated water may cause painful burns.